Essentials Inside The Story
- Justin Gaethje lays out his ideal next fight after Ilia Topuria signals his return to action.
- The interim champion says a White House showdown with Topuria is the only logical option.
- Gaethje also names Conor McGregor as a potential opponent if the UFC shifts plans.
Interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has a clear picture of what the future holds for him. And ‘The Highlight’ sees it entangled with former two-division champion Conor McGregor. This comes shortly after reigning lightweight champion Ilia Topuria shared a short yet sweet message with his fans about his return to active competition.
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Not having fought since June last year, when he dispatched Charles Oliveira in the first round to win the belt, ‘El Matador’ was forced into a hiatus as a result of the turbulence in his personal life. While he refrained from revealing the specifics, reports of his divorce taking an ugly turn soon surfaced. However, it now appears that the lightweight champion and his ex-wife have reached a settlement of sorts.
Soon after, Topuria took to Instagram to share a brief but confident message. “The Champ is back !!! [Rose]” the undefeated Spaniard wrote, alongside several images of himself training in the gym. Amid this, Gaethje—who defeated Paddy Pimblett last month to capture the interim title—appeared in an interview on The Pat McAfee Show, where he laid out what he believes should come next.
“Ilia Topuria, on the White House,” Gaethje said without hesitation when asked about what the future holds for him. “It has to be—no other option.” The 37-year-old has been envisioning the moment for months. “Walking out of the Oval Office [and] into the cage wearing the flag,” he said, describing his dream Octagon walk for the fight. He added that he has been “speaking [it] into existence” since last year.
Justin Gaethje originally imagined facing Ilia Topuria in January and defending his belt in June, but admitted that circumstances forced him to adjust his plans. “Can’t control everything. Ilia takes a step back because of personal issues. I still get to fight for [the] interim championship, which makes me a champion on paper, which gives me Ilia on the White House in June,” he explained.
Justin Gaethje believes he’ll headline the UFC White House event against Ilia Topuria 👀
“It has to be [Topuria at the White House]. No other option. I think we’re gonna main event it.”
(via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/jCyXk3wAc5
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 5, 2026
Later in the interview, Gaethje said he believes a fight with Topuria would headline the card. However, when McAfee floated the idea of the UFC bringing in Conor McGregor for the main event—potentially pushing Gaethje vs. Topuria to the co-main—‘The Highlight’ shifted his focus to ‘The Mac.’ “If it’s McGregor, McGregor’s gonna fight me and we’ll be main event anyways,” Gaethje told McAfee.
It’s worth noting that the UFC has yet to officially confirm which fighters will appear on the White House card scheduled for June 14. And President Donald Trump has previously claimed that the event will feature eight to nine title fights. In the meantime, Gaethje might have to be disappointed.
Conor McGregor says he won’t come back unless one thing happens
McGregor has made it clear that his return is on hold until he speaks directly with TKO Group Executive Chairman Ari Emanuel. In a since-deleted post on X reacting to news of Emanuel’s upcoming memoir, McGregor wrote: “That’s a must-read! I won’t come back until me and Ari chat.”
McGregor has repeatedly claimed his current deal is no longer valid following the UFC’s new broadcasting deal with Paramount. Speaking on a Roblox livestream, he said, “My contract, essentially, is void right now because there’s no more pay-per-view.”
“I’m the highest-generating pay-per-view fighter of all time… I’m due a new contract,” he added. Moreover, McGregor will be eligible to fight again on March 20.
McGregor has not competed since his 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, a bout that ended with him breaking his leg.
‘The Notorious’ has teased a return multiple times since then, but nothing has materialized. Most recently, he has been pushing for a fight against Michael Chandler on the White House card. Dana White, however, shut down that idea not long ago, leaving McGregor’s next opponent uncertain.
That being said, even though Justin Gaethje is confident he will be at UFC White House in June, nothing has been finalized. And the UFC is no stranger to putting together fights that no one asked for. Yet do you think ‘The Highlight’ will get what he wants?
